Dear Dandelion,
I Have So Many Questions For You. These Are Questions Not Addressed In F.A.Q.s Or That I Haven't Been Able To Satisfy Thru Reading Posts.
(1) Who Pays For All Of This? I Feel Like Such A Freeloader.
(2) Exactly How Much Contact Do You Have With Ray Bradbury Or His Publisher Or Whatever Go-Between It Is You May Use?

(3) How Does A Person Go From Being A Junior Member To A Member?
(4) Do You Get Payed For This? If So, By Whom?
(5) How Many Hours A Week Do You Spend As Moderator Of This Site?
(6) Have You Ever Before Been Or Are You Currently A Moderator At Another Website?
(7) How Did You Fall Into This Gig?
(8) Does Ray Bradbury Have Any Input, Interest, Or Consent In This Website?

Let Me Apologize Off The Bat If I Asked Any Inappropriate Questions Or Put You In An Awkward Position. I'll Understand If "The Big Eraser In The Sky" Happens Upon Any Of My Queries. You Obviously Enjoy Your Role As Moderator And It's Apparent That You Do Exhaustive Research. If All My Interests Had Websites Such As This, The Only Reading I'd Get Done Would Be On The Internet. I Don't Know Much About The Internet, And Even Less About Computers, And Perhaps That's Obvious.
I'm Just Crawling Out Of The Cave And Smelling Each Flower As I Stroll Thru The Meadow.
Thanks,
RAINTASTER

(1) Who Pays For All Of This? I Feel Like Such A Freeloader.

Evidently, the publishers, HarperCollins, belong to a web ring called Authors on the Web which provides the service. Should the board "crash" (or whatever) I can't fix it and neither can they--someone at the publishers has to contact the web service provider. I hope to God someone is making money off this! The site could be improved, but it IS the only official site, much better than nothing, and well worth it for the message boards alone!

(2) Exactly How Much Contact Do You Have With Ray Bradbury Or His Publisher Or Whatever Go-Between It Is You May Use?

With him, as much as is necessary. I believe he dictates messages by means of an assistant and I have never had trouble contacting him. With the publishers, there has been a certain lack of communication lately.

(3) How Does A Person Go From Being A Junior Member To A Member?

As far as I can tell, strictly by number of posts.

(4) Do You Get Payed For This? If So, By Whom?

The only pay I have received has been in the form of materials from HarperCollins, which ceased sometime prior to the publication of "Let's All Kill Constance" in late December. The only thing I've gotten since then, after repeated contacts, is an advance copy of the second 100 Stories collection. Still no copy of "Let's All Kill Constance."

(5) How Many Hours A Week Do You Spend As Moderator Of This Site?

I usually go on twice a day for maybe a half hour at a time, but of course if I am doing something special such as typing up a list or part of a document it takes much longer.

(6) Have You Ever Before Been Or Are You Currently A Moderator At Another Website?

God Forbid. If my whole life wasn't so wrapped up in/with/around Bradbury I wouldn't do this!

(7) How Did You Fall Into This Gig?

The message board opened for business on October 1, 2001, and I discovered it in December. Soon after, we had trouble from a couple of real looney toons and several regulars threatened to quit. Our e-mails to Authors on the Web and HarperCollins had little effect, but our snail mails drew notice! The person who was then supposed to be minding all these author sites then offered me moderating duties and handed me the keys, so to speak. She also supplied all the freebies, but I have not heard from her lately and don't know who sent the most recent book.

(8) Does Ray Bradbury Have Any Input, Interest, Or Consent In This Website?

I suppose he must have consent, and as far as input, someone posts interviews and things he has supposedly written for the site. As for interest, he's aware it exists, as I've sent him reams of printouts of discussions here, but he's made no comment on any of it, so no idea whether he reads it or what he thinks if so.

Great questions and great replies. These questions were interesting to me, also.

And in case I don't say it often enough or at all, thank you dandelion for all the work you do in maintaining this board.

If this board ever went down or crashed I wouldn't know what to do! We need a backup plan! I'm adding everyone's e-mails to my address book for one.

Absolutely. Thanks Dandelion, for a ton of great work and for keeping this forum alive!

And thanks from me, too, dandelion, dear friend. Sorry I don't contribute more often, but the site is in wonderful hands and I do peek in now and then.

By the way - how about spilling the beans on the contents of the second roundup of 100 stories? Are there any new ones, or previously uncollected ones, as there were last time?

Awww, shucks, guys. I'm currently listing the contents of the latest 100-title collection under the thread of that name, and must then completely revise the uncollected list.

WHEW... Big Sigh Of Releif. I Wasn't Sure How Well Those Questions Would Be Recieved. Thank You So Much For The Very Informative Replies Dandelion. I'll Say This Site Is "Much Better Than Nothing". I've Spent Two Or More Hours Reading Discussion Boards Each Nite Since I Found This Wonderful Place A Little Over A Week Ago. Once Upon A Time I Read Books.